What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cheshire has the most people working from home (19.1%).

Meriden has the most affordable homes ($241k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Cheshire	Meriden
People
Population	29,040Lowest	60,545Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	0% CT: +0.9%
Median age	44.9±1.4Highest 9% above CT	38.9±1.3Lowest 5% below CT
Kids under 18	21.9%±2.3 CT: 20.2%	21.9%±1.6 CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	21.3%±1.8Highest CT: 18.5%	16.2%±1.2Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.7%Highest CT: 42.5%	22.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.6%±0.9Highest CT: 7.1%
	Meriden and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$146,528±$12kHighest 53% above CT	$71,253±$4kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$440,000±$17kHighest 20% above CT	$241,200±$7kLowest 34% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,398±$116Highest 6% below CT	$1,294±$72Lowest 13% below CT
	Cheshire and Meriden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,755Highest 17% above CT	$5,129Lowest 23% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.9%±6.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	53.4%±4.9Highest CT: 52.6%
	Meriden and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Lowest CT: 10%	13.2%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	60.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 7 yrs newer than CT	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 9% above CT	23 minLowest 13% below CT
Work from home	19.1%±2.7Highest CT: 16%	8.6%±1.6Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 149 in CT	#124 of 149 in CT
School district	Cheshire School District	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Meriden School District
High school in town	Cheshire High School	Francis T. Maloney High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	16.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.